Eddie Renteria’s Elite Results III

Fitness at Any Age

August 2017Story by Jordan VenemaPhotos by Michelle Smee

Things didn’t work out for Eddie Renteria the way he had expected, but that just meant he’d be the one helping others work out.

Renteria, 34 and a Redwood High School alumnus, had played sports his entire life. “Since I was a little kid,” he confirms. “I was a three-sport athlete in high school, and then continued playing football at College of the Sequoias and then on to a private school in North Dakota. I played arena ball after that, and I even moved to Canada to play professionally.”

Renteria was in shape, as an aspiring pro athlete should be, but when he came down with a case of chicken pox at age 27, he lost about 20 pounds.

“I didn’t work out for a month and a half – I was too sick,” he says. “I was nowhere near in shape, and that’s what ended my career. I didn’t play football for a year and thought, well, maybe it’s time to hang it up.”

Renteria wasn’t sure what would come next, but he knew he wanted to work in the field of fitness. “My degree is a business degree with a concentration in health and fitness,” says Renteria. “So I thought running a gym might be cool. Then I started working for The Lifestyle Center, and I ran kids’ and adults’ programs. That helped me get into training.”

Renteria also ran Kaweah Delta’s Club 50, a training center for members over 50 years old. He worked with about 215 members, the oldest of whom was 92.

“That’s where I learned more about training and being with seniors,” says Renteria. “The youth and other training I learned while working at The Lifestyle Center for six years. And the sports stuff I’d done my whole life. I also go to trainings twice a year to keep up to date with what’s new, the science and studies that are coming out.”

Renteria’s experience with Lifestyle and Club 50 prompted him to open his own training center two years ago in October, Elite Results III.

“It is named after my son, actually,” says Renteria. “His name is Eduardo Renteria the third. That’s where I got the ER III, which partially comes from his name, but our motto is also faith, determination and a positive attitude.”

“It’s not a typical gym where you go work out,” Renteria continues. “You pay a monthly membership like a normal gym, but when you come you’ll always train with me one-on-one, or in a small group with three to five people, or a large group of six to 10.”

But more than the method, which includes sports-specific training and movements catered to the age of his members, Renteria wanted to create a safe and comfortable environment, regardless of his members’ experience.

The gym’s motto, he says, “helps keep the positive atmosphere and camaraderie,” and he had learned as a traditional trainer that “box gyms” don’t always provide welcoming environments for new members.

“Sometimes in big gyms, things get overlooked. I found that working in a big-box gym, I didn’t feel that I could do what I wanted and needed to,” says Renteria, because for those who’ve never been to a gym, its environment can be intimidating.

“If you’ve never worked out, or if you’re overweight, have low self-esteem, you look for a trainer because you don’t know what to do. But then you work out around a bunch of other people who just watch you. It’s not the most conducive environment to feel comfortable or happy, or to cry if you need to,” he continues. “And sometimes clients cry, or they can talk to me about whatever they need to talk about at the time. It becomes more than just about training.”

It’s about trust. And it is easier, he says, to help those who trust him.

“Here, I can have more of a personal relationship with my clients, even if it is in a group, and that’s more of what I was looking for. I feel I can make a bigger impact and change on those individuals.”

In that sense, Renteria doesn’t see himself as a trainer. He prefers to think of himself as a life coach.

“I hope that when people train with me, they gain confidence, a love and passion for living a healthier lifestyle. This is a lifestyle change. And people who make an investment with me, that’s what’s I’m all about. That’s why Results is in the name of the title,” he says.

Renteria offers group training separated by children, teenagers and adults, with movements and patterns catering to the specific individual. One group ranges between the ages 26 and 73.

“My environment is a lot less intimidating in that regard,” says Renteria.